Treatment of potatoes and root vegetables during storage

ABSTRACT

The turgidity of potato tubers and other root vegetables is improved, maintained, or restored and/or the greening of potato tubers is delayed, prevented or inhibited and/or internal diseases caused by fungi and bacteria are prevented or treated by the application of one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, C3 to C14 aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, and/or C3 to C7 saturated or unsaturated primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to maintaining or restoring potatoturgidity, and/or to preventing greening and/or to treating interiorfungal and bacterial diseases of root vegetables by the application ofα,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, C3 to C14 aliphaticaldehydes and ketones, and/or C3 to C7 aliphatic primary and secondarysaturated and unsaturated alcohols. In particular, root vegetables (suchas potatoes) are treated prior to or during storage to limit damage dueto loss of turgidity, greening and/or disease.

2. Background of the Invention

Following harvest, potato tubers undergo a natural period of dormancyduring which sprout growth is inhibited by endogenous hormones. Astubers emerge from dormancy and begin to sprout, respiration increases,starch is catabolized to sugars, which leads to weight loss and loss ofturgidity. The result is a decrease in overall quantity and quality oftubers destined for fresh and processing markets. One method to preservetuber turgidity is to have good sprout control. Hence, efforts have beenmade to inhibit sprouting through chemical or physical means to preservequality during storage. The sprout inhibitors registered for use onpotatoes in the United States include CIPC (also known as chlorpropham,Sprout Nip®, etc.), maleic hydrazide (MH), DMN (also known asdimethylnaphthalene, 1,4SIGHT®, 1,4SEED®, 1,4SHIP®), DIPN(diisopropylnaphthalene, Amplify®), and clove oil (Biox-C®; SproutTorch™). Except for MH, which is applied pre-harvest to actively growingplants, all inhibitors are applied post harvest when tubers are in thestorage bin.

CIPC is the most effective and most widely used potato sprout inhibitor.This chemical agent is most often applied as a thermal aerosol fog intopotato storages after wound-healing and prior to sprouting. In thePacific Northwest, this is usually in November or December, beforedormancy has ended. The chemical is fogged into storage at therecommended rate of 1 lb chlorpropham/600 cwt. One gallon of CIPCaerosol grade will treat 4200 cwt (210 tons) of potatoes. While CIPC caninhibit sprouting and extend the storage life of table-stock andprocessing potatoes for the storage season with one or moreapplications, it does not promote or maintain tuber turgidity or preventtuber greening. One of the drawbacks with CIPC is that when the tubersare treated in storage before proper wound healing and suberization ofthe potatoes has taken place, CIPC can impede these natural processesand therefore increase storage disease incidence.

While other potential sprout suppressant agents have been identified(e.g. aromatic aldehydes and alcohols, methyl esters of rape oil,carvone, jasmonates, spearmint and peppermint oils), none appear aseffective as CIPC. 1,4 SIGHT™(94.7% DMN=1,4-dimethylnaphthalene) is anaturally-occurring chemical agent that is also registered for sproutcontrol (see U.S. Patent Publication 2001/0021406), but it tends to beless effective than CIPC and is considered a dormancy enhancer.

Other alternative sprout inhibitors are described in U.S. PatentPublication 2007/0135307 to Olson which describes sprout inhibition withcarbetamide, pronamide, ethofumesate, mefluidide, paclobutrazol, 2,4 DB,and 2,4 DP, and in U.S. Patent Publication 2007/0078058 which shows theuse of MCPP to inhibit sprouting. Issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,562(Vaughn, et al.) discusses the use of the oxygenated monoterpenes1,4-cineole, 1,8-cineole, fenchone, and menthol to inhibit tubersprouting.

Other natural volatile sprout inhibitors have been identified. Carvone(derived from caraway seed) is commercially available for use onpotatoes in the Netherlands (Hartmans et al 1995. The following USpatents describe the use of various compounds for the inhibition ofpotato sprout formation: U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,226 to Lulai, et al. (Jul.25, 1995) describes the use of jasrnonates; U.S. Pat No. 5,635,452 toLulai et al (1997) describes the use of aromatic acids, U.S. Pat No.6,855,669 to Knowles and Knowles (2005) describes the use of α,βunsaturated aldehydes and ketones, U.S. Pat. No. 8,258,081 to Knowles etal. describes the use of C3 to C14 aliphatic aldehydes, ketones andprimary and secondary C3 to C7 aliphatic alcohols to inhibit sproutingof potato tubers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,596 to Winkelmann et al. (Dec. 3,1996) describes the use of rape seed oil and certain long-chainalcohols, either alone or in combination; U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,562 toVaughn et al., (Aug. 16, 1992) describes the use of volatilemonoterpenes (e.g. from eucalyptus, peppermint, spearmint, etc.); andU.S. Pat. No. 8,329,618 B1 teaches that certain essential oils canpromote tuber hardness as well, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,951 to Vaughn etal., (Jul. 14, 1992) describes the use of aromatic aldehydes andalcohols. In addition, Vokou et al. (1993) have demonstrated that theessential oils from a multitude of herbs (e.g. sage and rosemary)possess sprout inhibiting activity in potatoes.

Softening of the potato during storage significantly decreases oreliminates its commercial value. Thus, identification of agents that canimprove turgidity of potatoes are needed in the industry. Furthermore,identification of agents that restore turgidity, whereby an otherwisestored flaccid potatoes absorb moisture and become “hard or firm” to thetouch, are of significant commercial interest.

Another possible problem that occurs in association with growing,harvesting and It) storing potatoes is “greening” which occurs uponexposure to light. Greening adversely affects both the appearance andnutritional qualities—and even the safety—of potatoes, which at one timewere considered to be poisonous. In fact potatoes do contain poisonouscompounds in the form of glycoalkaloids such as solanine. Such toxinsare always present near the surface of the potato, with the highestconcentrations in the eyes or sprouts. These toxins are a naturaldefense mechanism of the plant, and are harmless when ingested in verysmall quantities, but ingestion of high levels causes headaches,diarrhea, cramps, and, in severe cases, coma and death. The U.S.National Toxicology Program recommends consumption of at most 12.5 mg ofsolanine from potatoes per day.

Solanine levels in potatoes vary somewhat depending on the variety, age,maturity, storage temperature, etc., but the levels are significantlyincreased upon exposure to light. Light also causes chlorophyllproduction and the resulting development of a green skin color; hence,the degree of “potato “greening” is an indirect indicator of thedevelopment of toxins such as solanine. Generally, the greener thepotato, the more likely that high concentrations of solanine and otherglycoalkaloids are present. Commercially grown potatoes are selected soas to have low initial concentrations of solanine, but post-harvestexposure to light can rapidly increase these levels to ten or more timesthe original value. For example, grocery store fluorescent lighting caninduce potato greening in as little as 12 hours. If a potato is morethan 5 percent green, the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers thepotato damaged and less than US Grade 1.

Unfortunately, there are currently no products available for preventingor slowing “greening” of potatoes and this area is also of significantcommercial interest.

In addition, with respect to the treatment of fungal and bacterialdiseases in stored produce, it is known that e.g. trans-2-hexenalinhibits mold and bacterial growth on harvested plant commodities (Corboet al., J. Agric. Food Chem. 48:2401-2408 (2000); Archbold et al.,HortScience 34:705-707 (1999)). US patent application 20130266670(Sardo) teaches that essential oil exhibit fungicidal, bactericidaland/or antioxidative properties. However, these references teach onlythe control of surface fungal and bacterial pathogens, i.e. thecompounds described therein are used as surface sanitizers, whereasdiseases that infect the interior of produce (e.g. Fusarium dry rot ofthe potato), and are a huge commercial problem, are not addressed. Thereis thus still a pressing need in the art to identify and develop agentsthat prevent, treat, limit and/or cure fungal and bacterial infections(e.g. of root vegetables) that occur within the root itself. Control ofsuch pathogens has significant commercial interest as these pathogensbecome particularly economically important as they frequently occurduring storage. It would be especially desirable to have availableagents that can treat and/or eliminate or lessen internal infectionsthat are already present e.g. within a tuber before treatment is begun.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

While treatment of potatoes with certain saturated and unsaturatedaldehydes and ketones can be used effectively to control sprouting ofpotatoes after harvest, it has now been discovered that, in addition,when potato tubers are exposed to these compounds, the exposure has thedramatic effect of maintaining hardness, firmness and/or turgidity ofthe potatoes, and can even reverse the loss of hardness, firmness andturgidity. The compounds prevent or reverse turgidity loss due to e.g.sprouting and/or general dehydration, thereby improving the overallquality of the tubers as judged by hardening. Increased turgidity alsoimproves the long-term storage of tubers e.g. by reducing pressurebruising in storage due to settling of the potato pile over time.Exposure may be to one individual compound, or to a mixture of two ormore compounds, and/or optionally the compound(s) may also be combinedwith other similar or different beneficial agents.

In addition, these compounds, which include α,β-unsaturated aliphaticaldehydes and ketones, C3 to C14 aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, or C3to C14 aliphatic primary and secondary saturated and unsaturatedalcohols, individually or as mixtures, and alone or in combination withsimilar or different constituents, have been observed to reduce orprevent greening and to reduce the overall content of glycoalkaloidssuch as solanine in treated potatoes. Glycoalkaloids are known to bepoisonous to both humans and cattle and should not be consumed insignificant quantities by either. Therefore, preventing or inhibitinggreening of potatoes (i.e., the accumulation of glycoalkaloids inpotatoes) is very important to the potato industry, and the use ofcompositions which incorporate one or more of α,β-unsaturated aliphaticaldehydes and ketones, C3 to C14 aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, or C3to C14 aliphatic primary and secondary saturated and unsaturatedalcohols, alone or in combination, can effectively prevent or inhibittuber greening.

Further, the present disclosure describes the surprising finding thatthe compounds described herein are efficacious with respect topreventing and treating infections caused by internal pathogens such asFusarium dry rot, Pythium soft rot, Pythium leak, Erwinia etc. Internalpathogens enter the potato through the superficial periderm (skin)surface and penetrate the core of e.g. a potato. The present compoundsand methods are used to prevent and/or treat such infections, includinginfections that are well-established prior to treatment.

Thus, tubers which have been subjected to external stresses such asdiseases. wounds, exposure to light or generally poor storage conditionscan benefit from exposure to the compounds and mixtures thereof as setforth herein.

-   1. A method for improving, maintaining or restoring potato tuber    turgidity, comprising the step of applying to harvested or stored    potato tubers, a composition comprising one or more agents selected    from the group consisting of: one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphatic    aldehydes; one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphatic ketones; one or    more C3 to C14 saturated aliphatic aldehydes; one or more C3 to C14    saturated aliphatic ketones; one or more C3 to C14 saturated or    unsaturated aliphatic primary alcohols; and one or more C3 to C14    saturated or unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols. In some    aspects, one or more agents include one or more of 3-decen-2-one,    2-decanone and 2-decanol. In some aspects, the step of applying is    performed by fogging or vaporizing. The step of applying may be    performed in combination with or sequentially with the application    of one or more of: sprout suppressors which are different from said    one or more agents, dormancy enhancers, and tuber hardness or    firmness enhancers. In some aspects, the one or more agents includes    one or more C3 to C14 α,β unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes or C4 to    C14 α,β unsaturated aliphatic ketones, and may further include C3 to    C14 α,β saturated aliphatic aldehydes or C4 to C14 α,β saturated    aliphatic ketones. In some aspects, the harvested or stored potato    tubers are already flaccid, prior to application of the agent(s).

The invention also provides methods of inhibiting, delaying or reversinggreening of potato tubers, comprising the step of applying to harvestedor stored potato tubers, a composition comprising one or more agentsselected from the group consisting of: one or more α,β-unsaturatedaliphatic aldehydes; one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphatic ketones; oneor more C3 to C14 saturated aliphatic aldehydes; one or more C3 to C14saturated aliphatic ketones; one or more C3 to C14 saturated orunsaturated aliphatic primary alcohols; and one or more C3 to C14saturated or unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols. In some aspects,one or more agents include one or more of 3-decen-2-one, 2-decanone and2-decanol. In some aspects, the step of applying is performed by foggingor vaporizing. The step of applying may be performed in combination withor sequentially with the application of one or more of: sproutsuppressors which are different from said one or more agents, dormancyenhancers, and tuber hardness or firmness enhancers. In some aspects,the one or more agents includes one or more C3 to C14 α,β unsaturatedaliphatic aldehydes or C4 to C14 α,β unsaturated aliphatic ketones, andmay further include C3 to C14 α,β saturated aliphatic aldehydes or C4 toC14 α,β saturated aliphatic ketones.

The invention also provides methods of preventing or reversing symptomsof a fungal or bacterial infection within potato tubers, comprising thestep of applying to harvested or stored potato tubers, a compositioncomprising one or more agents selected from the group consisting of: oneor more α,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes; one or more α,β-unsaturatedaliphatic ketones; one or more C3 to C14 saturated aliphatic aldehydes;one or more C3 to C14 saturated aliphatic ketones; one or more C3 to C14saturated or unsaturated aliphatic primary alcohols; and one or more C3to C14 saturated or unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols. In someaspects, one or more agents include one or more of 3-decen-2-one,2-decanone and 2-decanol. In some aspects, the step of applying isperformed by fogging or vaporizing. The step of applying may beperformed in combination with or sequentially with the application ofone or more of: sprout suppressors which are different from said one ormore agents, dormancy enhancers, and tuber hardness or firmnessenhancers. In some aspects, the one or more agents includes one or moreC3 to C14 α,β unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes or C4 to C14 α,βunsaturated aliphatic ketones, and may further include C3 to C14 α,βsaturated aliphatic aldehydes or C4 to C14 α,β saturated aliphaticketones. The harvested or stored potato tubers may already exhibitsymptoms of one or more fungal or bacterial diseases prior to said stepof applying. In some aspects, the fungal or bacterial or disease isFusarium dry rot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and B. A, potatoes which exhibit excessive sprouting; B, thesame potatoes fourteen (14) days after treatment with the alpha-betaunsaturated ketone 3-decen-2-one.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of unwashed potato tubers twenty one (21) daysafter sampling, thirty five (35) days after treatment with the exemplaryagent 3-decen-2-one.

FIGS. 3A and B depicts some of the potato tubers of FIG. 2 after a shelflife study, in unwashed (A) and washed (B) condition

FIGS. 4A and B. Treatment of tubers infected with Fusarium dry rot. A,untreated control to tubers; B, tubers treated with 3-decen-2-one.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

As shown in the Examples provided below, treating harvested and storedpotatoes with one or more of α,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes andketones, C3 to C14 aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, or C3 to C7aliphatic primary and secondary saturated and unsaturated alcohols,alone or in combination, has been found to effectively maintain,improve, or restore potato turgidity, to prevent potato greening and tomitigate symptoms of internal disease. In other words, the compounds areused as anti fugal and antibacterial agents. These compounds havepreviously been used to suppress potato tuber sprouting and arediscussed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,669 and U.S. Pat. No.8,258,081 both of which are herein incorporated by reference.

The mechanism of action behind the observations presented herein is notprecisely known, but, without being bound by theory, the hypothesis isthat 3-decen-2-one stopped and reversed the water loss from the potatotubers, and prepared the tubers to absorb moisture and restore firmnessduring storage in the relatively high humidity facility. This wouldlikely occur through absorption of moisture through the vascularperiderm or through the selective opening and closing of lenticels onthe tubers. In addition, 3-decen-2-one likely simultaneously shut downmoisture loss by destroying sprout tissue and suberizization of thesprout attachment site. 3-decen-2-one treatment likely also reduced therespiration rate of the tubers to below that of sprouting tubers, thenet result being that turgidity was restored, greening was prevented,and symptoms of disease were reversed or arrested.

Based on these observations, application to root vegetables such aspotato tubers of one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes andketones, C3 to C14 aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, or C3 to C14aliphatic primary and secondary saturated and unsaturated alcohols,alone or in combination with each other and/or other constituents, isused to increase tuber turgidity or hardness during storage, and toreduce the potato greening problem associated with glycoalkaloidformation, and to control the development of fungal andbacterialdiseases. The root vegetables may or may not have broken dormancy andmay or not be sprouting to benefit from such treatment.

The following terms and definitions are used herein:

By “turgidity” or “hardness” or “firmness” we mean the ability of thepotato tuber to retain water content at sufficient levels and maintain ahigh bulk density. Those of skill in the art will recognize thatmeasurements of “firmness”, which is generally expressed as Newtons,varies depending on the type or variety of tuber or vegetable beingmeasured, the particular batch of vegetables, on the instrument beingused, and when a measurement is taken (e.g. earlier or later in thegrowing season). Further, “firmness” measurements may increase duringstorage due e.g. to water loss which increases the force needed topenetrate the outer surface of the potato, even though the potato is byobservation and handling, less firm and more flexible. Thus, firmness isgenerally analyzed in comparison to a control measurement taken, forexample, in a postharvest (but prior to or early in storage) controlsample. For example, a tuber treated as described herein will typicallyexhibit a firmness that is at least about 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5% higher thana similar control tuber that has not been so treated, but which has beenotherwise kept in the same conditions with respect to storage, e.g. sametemperature, humidity, etc. The % increase is, for example, about 1.0,1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4,2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8,3.9, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, or 5.0% (or more)compared to control potatoes that have not been treated as describedherein. Such a percentage decrease may be considered to represent oraccord with a transition from a “firm” to a “flaccid” state (e.g. see,for example, Arvanitoyannis et al, Int J of Food Sci 2008, 43,1960-1970; and Foukaraki et al. Proc. XXVIIIth IHC-IS on PostharvestTechnology in the Global Market, eds Cantwall and Almeida Act Hort 934,ISHS 2012, and references cited therein). Turgidity (turgor) is measuredusing a suitable calibrated instrument, several of which are known inthe art (e.g. Stable Micro System (SMS) instruments such as the TA-XT-2texture analyzer, the Magness-Taylor pressure tester, the Effegi tester,Fruit Firmness Tester-FFF-Series, Cantifruit tester, AGROSTA®14 Field,FirmTech1, Low Mass Impactor, Instron, and various penetrometers (e.g.the PCE-PTR 200 Penetrometer), and non-destructive mechanical sensorssuch as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,999, the completecontents of which is hereby incorporated by referenced in entirety, etc.While the absolute measurements with each type of equipment can vary dueto design, the relative numbers for turgid vs non turgid (expressed as apercentage) generally remain the same, or at least within the range ofexperimental error (e.g. 10% or less), regardless of the instrumentused.

Alternatively, or in addition, specific gravity may be used as a measureof the solids in tubers. Generally speaking, on average, potatoescontain about 78% water and 22% dry matter or solids. However, potatoescan range from a 1.060 specific gravity (16.0% dry matter) to over 1.100(24.4% dry matter), and even very small changes in specific gravity havea large impact on the culinary qualities of a potato. Potatoes with highspecific gravity, i.e. greater than 1.08, will make a dry, fluffy bakedpotato, but will fall apart quickly into mush when boiled. Thus, forpotatoes, a satisfactory specific gravity for baking or mashing isconsidered to be at least 1.08. Lower dry matter potatoes, e.g. specificgravity between 1.08 and 1.07, will remain firm when boiled, but willmake a very wet, waxy baked potato (see the website located attuckertater.com/potato-glossary). Potatoes with a specific gravity below1.07 may be acceptable for frying, but generally, if specific gravity isless than about 1.07, the potatoes will not meet the standardsmaintained in the industry for other purposes. Those of skill in the artwill recognize that specific gravity can be measured by weighing asample of potatoes in air and then re-weighing in water. The specificgravity can then be determined using the following formula: specificgravity=(weight in air) divided by [(weight in air)−(weight in water).For example, if the potato weight in air (g)=935.95 and the weight inwater (g)=80.13, then the specific gravity=1.094.

“Tuber hardness or firmness enhancers” refers to agents that increasethe turgidity of root vegetables such as potato tubers, for example,dimethyl naphthalene which can be used together with the abovecompounds.

By “dormancy enhancer” we mean an agent that induces or promotesdormancy in a potato tuber or other root vegetable, such as dimethylnaphthalene (U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,999 (Forsythe), the complete contentsof which are hereby incorporated by reference in entirety.)

“Sprout inhibitors” refers to agents, including those described herein,that decrease the amount or the rate of development of sprouts onharvested or stored root vegetables such as potatoes, for example,chlorpropham (CIPC), clove oil, mint oil, dimethyl naphthalene,diisopropyl naphthalene, maleic hydrazide etc.

“Root vegetables” as used herein refers to various edible true rootssuch as tuberous roots and taproots, as well as non-roots such astubers, rhizomes, corms, and bulbs (see below).

As used herein “adjuvant” refers to any compound which enhances thepenetration through the skin of the tuber of the compounds describedherein or assists with the spread of the same on top of the skin of thetuber. Examples of suitable adjuvants include but are not limited tovarious surfactants, oils and other inorganic and organic compounds,e.g. Hasten®, Agridex®, various organosilicone adjuvants (e.g. Pulse®),various non-ionic wetting agents, etc.

Suitable C3 to C14 α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones for use in themethods of the invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,669, thecomplete contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.Suitable C3 to C14 aliphatic aldehydes and ketones and C3 to C4aliphatic saturated or unsaturated primary and secondary alcohols (whichare metabolites of C3 to C14 α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones) aredescribed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/186,861(published as US 2009-0062126, the complete contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference) and U.S. Pat. No. 8,258,081 (the completecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference). The metabolitesmay be applied directly to root vegetables as “first components”, orindirectly as a result of the application of C3 to C14 α,β-unsaturatedaldehydes and ketones parent compounds, the metabolites appearing on thevegetables as breakdown products.

The methods of treating root vegetables described herein may involve(include) a step of identifying root vegetables that can benefit fromsuch treatment. Exemplary root vegetables include those that are havebeen harvested, those that are being or have been loaded and/ortransported, those that are being stored prior to distribution to storesor consumers, and those that have been distributed (made available) toan end user, e.g. a restaurant, a processing facility (e.g. canning,frozen food, juice, etc. facility), or an individual consumer. Inparticular, the root vegetables may already exhibit one or moreundesirable characteristics such as sprouting, loss of turgidity andfirmness, and/or evidence of disease, such as disease at the interior ofthe potato. Symptoms of interior diseases occur inside the potato, forexample, at least about 1-2 mm beyond (beneath) the skin (periderm), orat least about 1-10 mm, or about 1-5 cm or more beyond, depending on thesize and dimensions of the potato. Such infections are thus present inthe fleshy portion or core of the potato, the part of the potato that isencased by skin. However, such infections may also involve, breach ordamage the skin.

The treatment of root vegetables may be carried out by any suitablemethod known to those of skill in the art, For example, by simultaneousfogging from one or a plurality of sources (e.g. by cold or thermalincluding thermal-electric, internal combustion or gas fired methods);by direct spraying (e.g., when formulated to be diluted in water); or bymisting or humidification systems or other commercially availableapplications systems; or via tank mixed, co-injections from multiple orseparate injection systems into the same applicator or applicationsystem; or by deposition or release from slow-release matrices which maybe added to or incorporated in plastic, paper, or box materials used tostore the tubers etc. The amount of the one or more α,β-unsaturatedaliphatic aldehydes and ketones, C3 to C14 aliphatic aldehydes andketones, or C3 to C14 aliphatic primary and secondary saturated andunsaturated alcohols, applied to the potato tubers can vary depending onthe application mode, storage requirements, and other factors, however,it is exposure of the potato tubers to an amount ranging from 0.01 mmolto 5.0 mmol will be sufficient to have the desired effect. Forturgidity, commercially available pressure testing devices which measurefirmness or hardness can be used to guide adjustments in applicationregimens for different storage lots. The applications can be made asingle time or multiple times over the course of one or several seasons.For example, beneficial effects (e.g. in terms of improving, maintainingor restoring turgidity) may result with two applications, where oneapplication is made a few weeks (e.g. 2-8 weeks) after the vegetableshave been transferred post-harvest into storage, and a secondapplication is made after a time interval of from about 30-45 days.Similarly exposure of the vegetables to an amount of the one or moreα,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, C3 to C14 aliphaticaldehydes and ketones, or C3 to C14 aliphatic primary and secondarysaturated and unsaturated alcohols, ranging from 0.01 mmol to 5.0 mmolwill be suitable to cause a reduction of an accumulation ofglycoalkaloid, such as solanin, content in tubers (thus reducing orinhibiting undesirable potato greening); and to combat disease within oramong the stored vegetables.

The application window for the one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphaticaldehydes and ketones, C3 to C14 aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, or C3to C17 aliphatic primary and secondary saturated and unsaturatedalcohols, applied to the potato tubers is, for example, at the time ofstorage (e.g. within minutes or a few hours, e.g. 1-24 hours of thepotatoes being introduced into a storage container) or from about one toa few days after the vegetables have been stored, and/or anytimethereafter up to about 24 hours prior to the unloading from storage. Anexemplary time frame during which stored potatoes can be treated rangesfrom a few days post-storage (e.g. after about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9or 10 days after the potatoes are introduced into a storage container)up to several months (e.g. about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10months) in storage. Application/exposure may occur at any time or afterany period of time when the potato tubers are susceptible to pilesettling.

The one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, C3 toC14 aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, or C3 to C14 aliphatic primary andsecondary saturated and to unsaturated alcohols, applied to thevegetables, can be applied in combination with other compounds,including but not limited to sprout suppressants (e.g., CIPC, DMN, DIPN,mint oil, carvone, clove oil, carbetamide, pronamide, ethofumesate,mefluidide, paclobutrazol, 2,4 DB, 2,4 DP, or maleic hydrazide (MH)),dormancy enhancers, tuber hardness enhancers, or adjuvants. Theseingredients can be tank mixed or applied sequentially. The one or moreα,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, C3 to C14 aliphaticaldehydes and ketones, or C3 to C14 aliphatic primary and secondarysaturated and unsaturated alcohols, applied to the potato tubers mayinclude a plurality of these agents, e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12or more, or even 15, 20, 25, or 30 or more, without limitation.

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to C14 aldehydes that may be used in the practiceof the invention generally have the chemical formula

where R₁ is a C2 to C13 branched or unbranched, substituted orunsubstituted saturated alkyl or a C2 to C13 branched or unbranched,substituted or unsubstituted unsaturated alkenyl. In some embodiments ofthe invention, the aldehyde is nonanal,

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to C14 ketones that may be used in the practiceof the invention generally have the chemical formula

where R₂ and R₃ are C1 to C12 branched or unbranched, substituted orunsubstituted saturated alkyl or a C1 to C12 branched or unbranched,substituted or unsubstituted to unsaturated alkenyl. R₂ and R₃ may bethe same or different. The sum of the carbons in R₂+R₃ does not exceed13. In some embodiments of the invention, the ketone is 2-nonanone,

Exemplary agents which may be used in the practice of this inventioninclude one or more C₃ to C₁₄ αβ unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes or C4to C₁₄ αβ unsaturated aliphatic ketones, as are described by example inU.S. Pat. No. 6,855,669 to Knowles et al., which is herein incorporatedby reference. The aliphatic aldehydes and ketones are defined by generalformulas I and II, respectively:

where

-   R₁ is H or branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstituted    C₁-C₁₁ lower alkyl, or branched or unbranched, substituted or    unsubstituted C₁-C₁₁ lower alkenyl;-   R₂ is branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₁₁    lower alkyl, or branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstituted    C₁-C₁₁ lower alkenyl; and-   R₃ is H or branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstituted    C₁-C₁₀ lower alkyl, or branched or unbranched, substituted or    unsubstituted C₁-C₁₀ lower alkenyl.-   As discussed above, very good results have been achieved with    3-decen-2-one. Exemplary more C₃ to C₁₄ αβ unsaturated aliphatic    aldehydes or C4 to C₁₄ αβ aliphatic ketones include    trans-2-pentenal, trans-2-hexenal, trans-2-heptenal,    trans-2-octenal, trans-2-nonenal, trans-2-decenal,    trans-2-undecenal, trans-2-dodecenal, trans-2,4,-nonadienal,    trans-2, cis-6-nonadienal, and trans-3-nonen-2-one.

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to C14 primary alcohols that may be used in thepractice of the invention generally have the chemical formula

where R₄ is a C2 to C6 branched or unbranched, substituted orunsubstituted saturated alkyl or a C2 to C6 branched or unbranched,substituted or unsubstituted unsaturated alkenyl. In various embodimentsof the invention, the unsaturated C3 to C14 primary alcohol is

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to C14 secondary alcohols that may be used in thepractice of the present invention generally have the chemical formula

where R₅ and R₆ is a C1 to C5 branched or unbranched, substituted orunsubstituted saturated alkyl or a C1 to C5 branched or unbranched,substituted or unsubstituted unsaturated alkenyl. The sum of the carbonsin R₅+R₆ does not exceed 6 R₅ and R₆ may be the same or different. Inone embodiment of the invention, the saturated C3 to C14 secondaryalcohol is 2-heptanol,

In addition, various C3 to C14 primary and secondary alcohols may beused in the practice of the invention. These compounds may be provideddirectly or may be provided via the breakdown of α,β-unsaturatedaliphatic aldehydes and/or α,β-unsaturated aliphatic ketones asdescribed herein. C3 to C14 primary alcohols have the general formula

Where R7 is a C3 to C13 branched or unbranched, substituted orunsubstituted saturated alkyl or a C3 to C13 branched or unbranched,substituted or unsubstituted unsaturated alkenyl.

C3 to C14 secondary alcohols have the general formula

where R8 is a C1 to C12 branched or unbranched, substituted orunsubstituted saturated alkyl or a C1 to C12 branched or unbranched,substituted or unsubstituted unsaturated alkenyl; and R9 is a C1 to C12branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstituted saturated alkyl ora C1 to C12 branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstitutedunsaturated alkenyl. The sum of R8 and R9 is not less than 3 and doesnot exceed 13.

Examples of additional compounds that may be used in the practice of theinvention include but are not limited to the following:

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to C14 aldehydes that may be used in the practiceof the present invention include but are not limited to: propanal,butanal, pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, octanal, 4-nonenal, 6-nonenal,decanal, undecanal, dodecanal, tridecanal, and tetradecanal.

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to C14 ketones that may be used in the practiceof the present invention include but are not limited to: propanone,2-butanone, 2-pentanone, 2-hexanone, 2-heptanone, 2-octanone,3-octanone, 3-nonanone, 2-decanone, 3-decanone, 2-undecanone,2-dodecanone, 2-tridecanone, 2-tetradecanone, and 3-decen-2-one.

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to C14 primary alcohols that may be used in thepractice of the present invention include but are not limited to:1-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-buten-1-ol, 1-pentanol, 2-penten-1-ol,1-hexanol, 2-hexen-1-ol, and 1-heptanol.

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to C14 secondary alcohols that may be used in thepractice of the present invention include but are not limited to:2-propanol, 2-butanol, 2-pentanol, and 2-hexanol.

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to 14 primary alcohols that may be used in thepractice of the present invention include but are not limited to:1-octanol, 1-decanol and 2-nonen-1-ol.

Exemplary aliphatic C3 to C14 secondary alcohols that may be used in thepractice of the present invention include but are not limited to:2-octanol, 2-nonanol, and 2-decanol

By “substituted” it is meant that there is a replacement of one or morehydrogens with a monovalent or divalent radical. Suitable substitutiongroups include but are not limited to, for example, hydroxyl, nitro,amino, imino, cyano, halo, thio, thioamido, amidino, imidino, oxo,oxamidino, methoxamidino, guanidino, sulfonamido, carboxyl, formyl,lower alkyl, halo-lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halo-lower alkoxy, loweralkoxyalkyl, alkylcarbonyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, alkylthio,aminoalkyl, cyanoalkyl, and the like.

In practice, it is expected that application will typically be made tobulk produce in storage bins, although this need not be the case as thecompounds may be applied to produce stored or sorted in any manner, solong as sufficient contact is made between the compounds and the produceto improve, maintain, or restore turgidity, prevent greening and theconsequent, or concomitant, production of glycoalkaloids, and to thwartdisease symptoms. Application of the compounds may be carried out by anyof several methods. Generally, the compound(s) will be volatilized, e.g.by cold fogging, or at high temperature (or hot fogging, which utilizevarious heat sources such as gasoline, propane, butane, natural gas,electric, etc.) to create a thermal fog, or by atomization, andintroduced into storage bins e.g. via the ventilation or humidificationsystem. This introduction may be a discrete event that is carried outonce or multiple times throughout the storage period. Alternatively, aslow-release mechanism or formulation may be employed in which thecompound gradually enters the storage area over a longer period of time,for example by evaporation from a source impregnated with thecompound(s). Further, the compounds may also be advantageously appliedby spraying or misting a liquid form of the compound onto thevegetables, or by dipping or otherwise coating them with the compound,either prior to, during, or after storage (e.g. between storage andboxing or bagging for commercial purposes). Such compounds can also beused to coat or impregnate consumer containers (such as cardboard boxes,burlap bags, plastic bags, etc.) which typically hold root vegetablescoming out of storage sheds or bins for the express purpose of makingavailable the precursor or metabolite compounds to maintain turgidity,delay greening and prevent storage fungal and bacterial diseases intransit and at final destinations (e.g. homes, grocery stores,restaurants and other food establishments). For such applications, thecompounds may also be mixed with various other agents known tofacilitate the delivery of gases, liquids, or gels as appropriate (e.g.emulsifiers, slow release agents or matrices and the like). Other meansof delivering the one or more include but are not limited to employingtank mixtures of the combination of inhibitors. Any delivery methodknown in the art may be used. The application of the compounds(including mixtures) may be carried out only once as described above(i.e. early in storage and before or after sprouting). Alternatively,depending on the factors such as the cultivar, the time of harvest, thelength of storage, the intended use, etc. multiple applications of thecompound(s) may be made. However, if storage is long term (e.g. over theentire winter for distribution in the spring or the following summer)multiple applications may need to be made. In an exemplary case, thefirst application will generally be made early in the storage process(e.g. at between 2 and 32 weeks following harvest), and subsequentapplications may also be made at roughly 4 to 12 week intervals asneeded, until the produce is retrieved for use.

The amount of compound (or compounds) which is (or are) applied issufficient to terminate, slow, prevent, and/or maintain, improve, orrestore a desired trait, e.g. turgidity of the potato tubers, and/or toprevent or inhibit greening of the potato tubers, and/or to prevent,reduce or treat storage-related diseases. Greening of the potatoesand/or decreases in turgidity and/or disease symptoms may be preventedaltogether, or be delayed, or slowed compared to untreated tubers, etc.In any case, the process of greening and/or the process of turgidityloss and/or disease development is inhibited or slowed by treating thepotato tubers with the compounds as described herein, or with theirprecursor compounds (e.g. see U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,669, for examples ofprecursor α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones which can be used tomake the ketones and aldehydes and alcohols of this invention), incomparison to potato tubers that are not exposed to or contacted by thecompounds in a similar manner. The decrease will be in the range of atleast about 10 to 100%, preferably in the range of about 50 to 100%, andmost preferably in the range of about 75 to 100%. Thus, the treatedtubers will display a decrease in greening development or turgidityreduction of about 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 90, or 100%, comparedto untreated tubers. The beneficial effects generally last between 14and 100 days and in some cases as much as six months depending onstorage temperature and other conditions.

Similarly, the presence of fungal and/or bacterial diseases may beprevented or treated by applying the compounds as described herein,either before or after disease symptoms develop. In some cases, loss ofturgidity, greening and/or symptoms of disease, are completely prevented(prophylactically) before symptoms occur, or are reversed or eradicated,if symptoms are already present before application. However, those ofskill in the art will recognize that the results can also be highlybeneficial even if some symptoms (or some greening, or loss ofturgidity) remain(s) or eventually develop(s), i.e. even if the progressof the development of unwanted characteristics is arrested (but notreversed), slowed, decreased, lessened, or delayed, or if the amount orextent of damage is decreased, but not completely eliminated.

Types of produce that may be treated as described herein include but arenot limited to: root vegetables categorized as

i) true roots (e.g. Cassava tuberous roots);

ii) taproots [Arracacia xanthorrhiza (arracacha), Abelmoschus moschatus(bush carrot); Beta vulgaris (beet and mangelwurzel), Brassica spp.(rutabaga and turnip), Bunium persicum (black cumin), Burdock (Arctium,family Asteraceae), Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus),Celeriac—(Apium graveolens rapaceum), Daikon—East Asian radish (Raphanussativus var. longipinnatus), Dandelion—(Taraxacum) spp., Lepidiummeyenii (maca), Microseris scapigera (yam daisy), Pachyrhizus spp.(jicama and ahipa), Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), Petroselinum spp.(parsley root), Radish—(Raphanus sativus), Scorzonera hispanica (blacksalsify), Slum sisarum (skirret), Tragopogon spp. (salsify), Vignalanceolata (bush potato), etc.]

iii) tuberous roots [Amorphophallus galbra (Yellow lily yam), Conopodiummajus (pignut or earthnut), Dioscorea opposita (nagaimo, Chinese yam,Korean yam), Hornstedtia scottiana (Native ginger), Ipomoea batatas(sweet potato), Ipomoea costata (desert yam), Manihot esculenta (cassavaor yuca or manioc), Mirabilis extensa (mauka or chago), Psoraleaesculenta (breadroot, tipsin, or prairie turnip. Smallanthussonchifolius (yacóon), etc.]

iv) root-like stems, e.g. Zamia pumila, Florida arrowroot

v) modified plant stems e.g. Taro corms, Ginger rhizomes, Yam tubers

vi) corms such as Amorphophallus konjac (konjac), Colocasia esculenta(taro), Eleocharis dulcis (Chinese water chestnut), Ensete spp. (enset),Nelumbo nucifera, Nymphaea spp. (waterlily), Pteridium esculentum,Sagittaria spp. (arrowhead or wapatoo), Typha spp., Xanthosoma spp.(malanga, cocoyam, tannia, and other names), etc.

vii) rhizomes such as Curcuma longa (turmeric), Panax ginseng (ginseng),Arthropodium spp. (rengarenga, vanilla lily, and others), Canna spp.(canna), Cordyline fruticosa (ti), Maranta arundinacea (arrowroot),Nelumbo nucifora (lotus root), Typha spp. (cattail or bulrush), Zingiberofficinale (ginger, galangal), etc.

viii) tubers such as Apios americana (hog potato or groundnut), Cyperusesculentus (tigernut or chufa), Dioscorea spp. (yams, ube), Helianthustuberosus (Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke), Hemerocallis spp.(daylily), Lathyrus tuberosus (earthnut pea), Oxalis tuberosa (oca orNew Zealand yam), Plectranthus edulis and P. esculentus (kembili, dazo,and others), Solanum tuberosum (potato), Stachys affinis (Chineseartichoke or crosne), Tropaeolum tuberosum (mashua or añu), Ullucustuberosus (ulluco), etc.

ix) bulbs such as Shallot bulbs, Allium spp. (garlic, onion, shallot, etcetera), Camassia quamash (quamash), Cyperus bulbosus (bush onion),Caladenia, Cryptostylis, Cymbidium canaliculatum, Diuris, Dipodium,Erythronium spp. (katakuri), Foeniculum vulgare (fennel), Geodorum,Glossodia, Lilium spp. (lilies), Lypernathus, Microtis, Prasophyllum,Pterostyli, Tacca leontopetaloides, Thelymitra, etc.

Diseases that may be addressed or treated using the compounds andmethods described herein include but are not limited to:

i) fungal diseases such as Black dot (Colletotrichum coccodes,Colletotrichum atramentarium), Brown spot and Black pit (Alternariaalternate, Alternaria tenuis), Cercospora leaf blotch (Mycovellosiellaconcors, Cercospora concors, Cercospora solani, Cercosporasolani-tuberosi), Charcoal rot (Macrophomina phaseolina, Sclerotiumbataticola), Choanephora blight (Choanephora cucurbitarum), Common rust(Puccinia pittieriana), Deforming rust (Aecidium cantensis), Earlyblight (Alternaria solani), Fusarium dry rot (Fusarium spp. Gibberellapulicaris, Fusarium solani; Other Fusarium spp. include: Fusariumavenaceum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium culmorum; less common Fusariumspp. include: Fusarium acumination, Fusarium equiseti, Fusariumcrookwellense), Fusarium wilt (Fusarium spp. Fusarium avenaceum,Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani f.sp. eumartii), Gangrene (Phomasolanicola f. foveata, Phoma foveata, Phoma exigua var. foveata, Phomaexigua f. sp. Foveata, Phoma exigua var. exigua), Gray mold (Botrytiscinerea, Botiyotinia fuckeliana [teleomorph]) Late blight (Phytophthorainfestans), Leak (Pythium spp. Pythium ultimum var. ultimum, Pythiumdebaiyanum, Pythium aphanidermatum, Pythium deliense), Phoma leaf spot(Phoma andigena var. andina), Pink rot (Phytophthora spp. Phytophthoraczyptogea, Phytophthora drechsleri, Phytophthora erythroseptica,Phytophthora megasperma, Phytophthora nicotianae var. parasitica),Powdery mildew (Ezysiphe cichoracearum), Powdery scab (Spongosporasubterranea f.sp. subterranean), Rhizoctonia canker and black scurf(Rhizoctonia solani, Thanatephorus cucumeris [teleomorph]), Roselliniablack rot (Rosellinia sp. Dematophora sp. [anamorph]), Septoria leafspot (Septoria lycopersici var. malagutii), Silver scurf(Helminthosporium solani), Skin spot (Polyscytalum pustulans ), Stem rot(southern blight) (Sclerotium rolfsii, Athelia rolfsii [teleomorph]),Thecaphora smut (Angiosorus solani, Thecaphora solani), Ulocladiumblight (Ulocladium atrum), Verticillium wilt (Verticillium albo-atrum,Verticillium dahlia), Wart (Synchytrium endobioticum), and White mold(Sclerotinia sckrotiorum), etc.

-   II) Bacterial diseases that can be addressed or treated as described    herein include but are not limited to: Bacterial wilt (brown rot)    caused by Ralstonia solanacearum (Pseudomonas solanacearum);    Blackleg and bacterial soft rot caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum    subsp. Atrosepticum, Envinia carotovora subsp. Atroseptica,    Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. Carotovorum, E. carotovora subsp.    Carotovora, Pectobacterium chrysanthemi, E. chrysanthemi; Pink eye    caused by Pseudomonas fluorescens; Ring rot caused by Clavibacter    michiganensis subsp. Sepedonicus, Corynebacterium sepedonicum;    Common scab caused by Streptomyces scabiei, S. scabies, Streptomyces    acidiscabies, Streptomyces turgidiscabies); and, etc.

There are a number of benefits which accrue using the compounds asdescribed herein, examples of which include:

-   -   1. Increased potato firmness leads to reduced pressure bruising        which in turn leads to better storability of potato tubers        especially for the long term. Maintenance of desirable potato        pile height (due to decreased softening and flaccidity so that        the space between potatoes, the interstices, are more        effectively maintained) results in better air circulation,        better disease control and management, better distribution of        sprout control products leading to improved efficacy.    -   2. Maintains high water content in potato tubers and reduces        moisture loss leading to more desirable lower potato bulk        density. Settled piles have smaller volume of air spaces between        the potatoes, by increasing the contact area between potatoes        leading to less air movement and contribute to conditions        conducive to disease development.    -   3. Restores normal water content in potato tubers which have        been desiccated due to sprouting or other reasons and reduces        overall moisture loss leading to more desirable lower potato        bulk density.    -   4. For processing and fresh market potatoes, turgid, firm or        hard potatoes provide better slicing (for chips and the like)        and have better peeling characteristics    -   5. Farmers store potatoes in boxes or crates or smaller pile        heights to avoid pressure bruising. Compounds can reduce the        cost of storage by resorting to a more cost-effective method of        storing in large piles. This can be of significant economic        benefit.    -   6. Turgid, firm or hard tubers can be better transported without        causing skin injury and thereby the possibility of secondary        disease infestation is reduced.    -   7. Turgid, firm or hard tubers benefit from a longer shelf life        (i.e., last longer in the kitchen pantry or on the grocery        shelf)    -   8. Turgid, firm or hard tubers which have been treated with such        compounds also exhibit lower incidence of greening both in        storage as well as in kitchen pantries.    -   9. Turgid, firm or hard tubers give higher rates of packout by        reducing “shrinkage”-the loss of the overall weight of the        stored potatoes and discarded potatoes (due to greening) leading        to a higher economic return for the farmer    -   10. Turgid or hard tubers are aesthetically pleasing and can        therefore more saleable and can command a better price        (especially for fresh market potatoes).    -   11. Turgid or hard tubers are easier to unload from the storage        with conventional unloading equipment. Non-turgid or soft tubers        can be subject to heavy damage. Soft tubers do not roll easily        on conveyer belts or machinery designed to mechanically remove,        transport, wash and pack potatoes.

EXAMPLES Example 1

An exemplary sprout inhibitor is marketed in the USA under the tradenameSmartBlock® and it includes as its active ingredient, 3-decen-2-one, analpha-beta unsaturated ketone. SmartBlock® was applied to potatoes in acommercial storage facility in Idaho. Since these tubers were destinedfor the processing market, storage temperatures of e.g. 46 to 48 deg F.would have been generally recommended to lower the content of reducingsugars. However, this particular storage was maintained at a highertemperature, with the temperature probe within the potato pile reading52 deg F. While the storage was maintained at a high relative humidity(approximately 95% RH), which is generally recommended under suchconditions, high RH usually does very little to sprouting and reversemoisture loss. At the time of treatment, well over 90% of the potatoeswere sprouted, with average sprouts being 2 to 4 inch (5 to 10 cm) inlength, with some sprouts being as long as 10 inches (25 cm) (see FIG.1A). The application of SmartBlock® “burnt off” the sprouts (see FIG.1B).

The excessive sprouting illustrated in FIG. 1 had caused the potatotubers to also lose moisture quite rapidly causing them to wrinkle andshrivel and leading to significant weight loss and settling of thepotato pile. It would be expected that heavily sprouted tubers would,even after the sprouts were removed, still continue to show a loss ofturgidity and weight due to desiccation after removal from storage.However, 14 days after the SmartBlock® treatment, when the potato tuberswere being monitored for sprout control and quality (including sugarlevels), it was surprisingly and unexpectedly noted that the potatotubers were noticeably more turgid (hard or firm to the touch) thanwould normally be expected for tubers which were heavily sprouted, evenafter removal of sprouts. Instead of soft (flaccid), wrinkly orotherwise shriveled potatoes, it was observed that the tubers were veryhard or firm to the touch and could be cut, diced or sliced easily.

The sampled potatoes were then subject to a sprouting shelf-life study.The objective of the study was to observe if the turgidity could bemaintained over time after removal from storage. SmartBlock® was appliedat 115 g/ton on April 16 using commercial thermal fogging equipments.Samples of the potatoes from which the sprouts had been removed by thistreatment were collected. Some were washed and some remained unwashed,and all tubers were stored in a cardboard box on a kitchen counter atroom temperature (approximately 70 deg F.), beginning on April 29 (seeFIG. 2). The turgidity and appearance of the potatoes were monitored. Ascan be seen from FIGS. 3A and B, both washed and unwashed tubers did notexhibit the normal loss of turgidity and that would be expected, evenwhen exposed to light for over 14-21 days. This result was highlyunexpected as sprouted potatoes are known to continue to lose turgidityeven after sprouts are removed. Significantly, the tubers also did notexhibit typical greening or a recurrence of sprouting. Qualitatively,the tubers remained fully turgid to the touch and only suffered minorsoftening by day 21 (See Table 1).

These results show that the turgiditiy of flaccid potatoes can berestored by application of 3-decen-2-one or related compounds. Inaddition, application of 3-decen-2-one can prevent or treat greening inpotatoes.

TABLE 1 Observations on Samples after Commercial Treatment withSmartBlock ® # of Sample # of Eyes Blackened % % Average Date # On TuberEyes Blackened of 3 Tubers Observations Washed tubers 29-Apr 1 23 23 1002 27 27 100 3 23 23 100 100 All 3 tubers were hard and showed no loss inturgidity, no greening or sprouting 6-May 1 23 23 100 2 27 27 100 3 2323 100 100 All 3 tubers were hard and showed no loss in turgidity, nogreening or sprouting 11-May 1 23 23 100 2 27 27 100 3 23 23 100 100 All3 tubers were hard and showed no loss in turgidity, no greening orsprouting 19-May 1 23 22 95.4 2 27 25 92.6 3 23 23 100 96 All 3 tuberswere hard and showed minimal loss in turgidity. Greening in ⅓ tubers.Some “peeping” (eyes opening) Unwashed tubers 29-Apr 1 22 22 100 2 24 24100 3 26 26 100 100 All 3 tubers were hard and showed no loss inturgidity, no greening or sprouting 6-May 1 22 22 100 2 24 24 100 3 2626 100 100 All 3 tubers were hard and showed no loss in turgidity, nogreening or sprouting 11-May 1 22 22 100 2 24 24 100 3 26 26 100 100 All3 tubers were hard and showed no loss in turgidity, no greening orsprouting 19-May 1 22 21 95.4 2 24 23 95.4 3 26 24 92.3 94.5 All 3tubers were hard and showed minimal loss in turgidity. No greening. Somesprouting (<0.5 cm)

Example 2

The source of tubers for this study was Telford Farms in Paul, Id. Thestorage unit temperature set point was 48.5° F. (9° C.). The tuber pulptemperatures ranged from 49 to 53.6° F. (9 to 12° C.) depending upontheir location in the pile. Untreated tubers (cv Alturas) were selectedfrom storage on Jul. 2, 2013 (prior to SmartBlock® application) to serveas untreated controls. About 200 lbs (91 kg) of these were distributedinto 4 coolers with cold packs and transported to the Fed Ex office inTwin Falls, Id. at 1:45 pm where they remained in the air conditionedoffice until 6:23 pm when they left the facility. Untreated tubers toarrived in Pullman at 11:45 am on July 3.

SmartBlock® was applied at a rate of 4.2 fluid oz ton⁻¹ (136 mL MT⁻¹) totubers remaining in the Telford Farms storage on July 2. Ventilation wassuspended for an estimated 12 to 18 hrs. post treatment. A shipment ofthe treated tubers was packed as described above and delivered to Fed Exin Twin Falls for shipment on July 3. The shipment arrived in Pullman onJuly 5 at 11:30 am.

Tubers were sorted into weight categories immediately upon arrival inPullman, working at room temperature (˜25° C.) and in dim light(0.16-1.34 μE sec⁻²). Two experimental groups were created from theuntreated (control) tubers; those with one or more sprouts ≧0.5 cm andthose with no significant (>2 mm) sprouts. Sorting of tubers and theirassignment to treatment groups for the various experiments wasaccomplished within 1.5 hr. and subsequently all tubers were placed indark, walk-in storage at 8° C. with 85 to 90% RH. Humidity wasmaintained through the use of a household room humidifier, water on theconcrete floor, and damp burlap placed on the empty shelves.

Measuring Tuber Firmness:

Tubers for firmness measurements were sorted by treatment and blockedfor size.

Each treatment group (containing at least 24 tubers) was stored in aplastic tote in the walk-in cold room at 8° C. Damp burlap was placedatop the tote so as not to contact the tubers directly. Burlap wasre-wetted every two days. At 6, 13, 20, and 27 days after treatment(DAT), six tubers from each rep of each treatment (3-decen-2-one-treatedand non-treated not sprouted) were selected and gently rinsed under coldrunning water to remove surface soil. The tubers were placed in plastictubs and covered with damp paper towels for transport to the testingfacility.

A TA-XT-2 texture analyzer (Stable Microsystems) was used to test tubersfor firmness. A section of peel was removed from the midsection onopposite sides of the tuber. An 8-mm probe was lowered into the tubertissue within this peeled area to a distance of 5 mm at a speed of 1 mms⁻¹. Firmness was recorded as the N (m kg s−1) required to achieve thespecified penetration. The two readings per tuber were averaged.Analysis of variance was performed on the data set. The results arepresented in Table 2.

Firmness of SmartBlock®-treated and non-treated tubers (cv Alturas) asmeasured with a TA-XT-2 texture analyzer. Tubers were stored at 8° C.until analysis. Data are presented as Newtons (N) required to force a8-mm probe to a depth of 5 mm into the tuber flesh at 1.0 mm s⁻¹. Dataare the means of 6 tubers.

TABLE 2 Days after Tuber firmness (N) % Treatments Treatment Rep 1 Rep 2Rep 3 Rep 4 Average Increase 3-decen-2- 6 67.84 79.18 75.64 78.85 75.384.09 one (115 ppm) untreated 66.04 78.44 71.61 73.58 72.42 3-decen-2- 1373.22 67.34 73.98 79.26 73.45 2.80 one (115 ppm) untreated 69.46 71.4770.62 74.26 71.45 3-decen-2- 20 74.51 74.63 72.81 77.64 74.90 3.28 one(115 ppm) untreated 73.20 70.66 69.77 76.36 72.52

-   Results: The increase in tuber firmness is of significant commercial    value because as the potatoes lose turgidity over time due to    moisture loss in storage, the risk of pressure bruising is increased    (stacking weight of the potatoes damage or bruise potatoes lower in    the potato pile), lower air circulation (which increases the risk of    disease development, and causes a rise in sugar levels due to tuber    stress) and internal sprouting (sprouts turn inside the tuber),    leading to destruction of tuber quality. Therefore, even a slight    increase in turgidity can have a significant commercial impact on    tuber quality.

Example 3

Diseases which develop during storage of potatoes include dry rot(Fusarium sambucinum), common scab (Streptomyces spp, pink rot(Phytopthora erythoseptica) late blight (Phytopthora infestans), blackscurf (Rhizoctonia spp), Pythium leak (Pythium spp), silver scurf(Helminthosporium solani), etc. Such diseases are often very difficultto control inside a storage facility. Many of the diseases are due toinfections acquired in the field and are exacerbated by potato woundsthat occur during harvesting operations. The rate of spread within astorage container depends on conditions such as temperature, humidity,ventilation, etc. Typically, certain fungicides are applied in storageto combat disease development, but they have the drawback that theycannot be easily dispersed into the pile. Therefore, a chemical whichcan be applied by fogging (e.g. cold fog, hot fog, vapor etc.) and whichpossesses the property of arresting further development of such diseaseswould be of tremendous commercial value.

Suberization of the skin of the potato is critical to arresting thespread of fungi and bacteria. Suberization acts by “sealing up” thediseased sector and preventing further spread inside the tuber oroutside to adjacent tubers (see picture B, the affected and sealedregion is indicated with a circle on the whole potato). By “sealing up”the infected site, the integrity of the potato is maintained, therebypreventing the rapid spread of disease throughout the potato orvegetable pile. Agents that facilitate this process would be of greatbenefit.

Essential oils and other molecules related to saturated and alpha-betaunsaturated ketones and aldehydes are known to have some fungicidalproperties but these compounds were previously thought to be activeagainst infectious agents at the surface of the tuber. The datapresented in this Example shows that, surprisingly, these type ofcompounds can also arrest the development of fungi or bacteria insidethe tuber and not just on the surface of potatoes. In so doing, thecompounds appear to support or induce suberization. As shown below,application of these compounds can significantly reduce (e.g. up toabout 70% or greater) the overall incidence of diseases in the tuber.

-   Data: Potatoes stored commercially in Taber, Alberta, Canada had a    heavy infestation of predominantly dry rot (Fusarium sambucinum)    prior to treatment. The potatoes were observed to be “wet” due to    the fungal mycelia and deterioration of the potato skin. The tubers    also exhibited heavy sprouting (sprouts up to 2.5 cm long).

One group of sprouted, diseased tubers (Storage Bin 3) were treated with3-decen-2-one (as SmartBlock®) at the rate of 115 ppm using a hotfogging method. Another group of tubers was left untreated as a control.The results of the test are shown in FIGS. 4A and B and Table 3. As canbe seen, treatment with 3-decen-2-one (FIG. 4B) not onlyreduced/prevented sprouting, but also decreased or eliminated symptomsof dry rot, compared to untreated controls (FIG. 4A).

TABLE 3 Performance of 3-decen-2-one in a commercial storage in Canada.Disease defects (indicated as total defects) in Storage Bin 3: Potatovariety FL 2053 % Total Date Defects Change Notes Oct. 12, 3.15 N/A Binloaded on Sep. 29, 2013 2013 Oct. 30, 12.2 +287.3 Fusarium rot diseaseis progressing 2013 rapidly. Nov. 13, 14.30  +17.2 Fusarium rotcontinues to increase. 2013 Sprouting of tubers is serious Nov. 13, SameSame 3-decen-2-one was applied to Bin 3 at 2013 115 ppm as a thermalfog/vapor to control sprouts Dec. 10, 4.23′-70.4 Bin was unloaded on Dec10 (3-weeks 2013 after treatment) and tubers were shipped to aninternational potato processing facility where final grading of thetubers was done as part of routine quality control. Sprout control wasexcellent but in addition, the tubers were not moist and molddevelopment had been arrested.

While the invention has been described in terms of its preferredembodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventioncan be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of theappended claims. Accordingly, the present invention should not belimited to the embodiments as described above, but should furtherinclude all modifications and equivalents thereof within the spirit andscope of the description provided herein.

We claim:
 1. A method for improving, maintaining or restoring potatotuber turgidity, comprising the step of applying to harvested or storedpotato tubers, a composition comprising one or more agents selected fromthe group consisting of: one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphaticaldehydes; one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphatic ketones; one or more C3to C14 saturated aliphatic aldehydes; one or more C3 to C14 saturatedaliphatic ketones; one or more C3 to C14 saturated or unsaturatedaliphatic primary alcohols; and one or more C3 to C14 saturated orunsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols.
 2. The method of claim 1wherein said one or more agents include one or more of 3-decen-2-one,2-decanone and 2-decanol.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step ofapplying is performed by fogging or vaporizing.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein said step of applying is performed in combination with orsequentially with the application of one or more of: sprout suppressorswhich are different from said one or more agents, dormancy enhancers,tuber hardness or firmness enhancers, and adjuvants
 5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein said one or more agents includes one or more C3 to C14α,β unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes or C4 to C14 α,β unsaturatedaliphatic ketones.
 6. The method of claim 6, wherein said one or moreagents further includes C3 to C14 α,β saturated aliphatic aldehydes orC4 to C14 α,β saturated aliphatic ketones.
 7. The method of claim 1wherein said harvested or stored potato tubers are flaccid.
 8. A methodof inhibiting, delaying or reversing greening of potato tubers,comprising the step of applying to harvested or stored potato tubers, acomposition comprising one or more agents selected from the groupconsisting of: one or more α,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes; one ormore α,β-unsaturated aliphatic ketones; one or more C3 to C14 saturatedaliphatic aldehydes; one or more C3 to C14 saturated aliphatic ketones;one or more C3 to C14 saturated or unsaturated aliphatic primaryalcohols; and one or more C3 to C14 saturated or unsaturated aliphaticsecondary alcohols.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein said one or moreagents include one or more of 3-decen-2-one, 2-decanone and 2-decanol.10. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of applying is performed byfogging or vaporizing.
 11. The method of claim 8 wherein said step ofapplying is performed in combination with or sequentially with theapplication of one or more of sprout suppressors which are differentfrom said one or more agents, dormancy enhancers, and tuber hardness orfirmness enhancers,
 12. The method of claim 8 wherein said one or moreagents includes one or more C3 to C14 α,β unsaturated aliphaticaldehydes or C4 to C14 α,β unsaturated aliphatic ketones.
 13. The methodof claim 12, wherein said one or more agents further includes C3 to C14α,β saturated aliphatic aldehydes or C4 to C14 α,β saturated aliphaticketones.
 14. A method of preventing or reversing symptoms of a fungal orbacterial infection within potato tubers, comprising the step ofapplying to harvested or stored potato tubers, a composition comprisingone or more agents selected from the group consisting of: one or moreα,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes; one or more α,β-unsaturatedaliphatic ketones; one or more C3 to C14 saturated aliphatic aldehydes;one or more C3 to C14 saturated aliphatic ketones; one or more C3 to C14saturated or unsaturated aliphatic primary alcohols; and one or more C3to C14 saturated or unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols.
 15. Themethod of claim 14 wherein said one or more agents include one or moreof 3-decen-2-one, 2-decanone and 2-decanol.
 16. The method of claim 14wherein said step of applying is performed by fogging or vaporizing. 17.The method of claim 14 wherein said step of applying is performed incombination with or sequentially with the application of one or moreantifungal, antibacterial or antiviral agents that are notα,β-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes, α,β-unsaturated aliphatic ketones,C3 to C14 saturated aliphatic aldehydes, C3 to C14 saturated aliphaticketones, C3 to C14 saturated or unsaturated aliphatic primary alcohols,or C3 to C14 saturated or unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols. 18.The method of claim 14 wherein said one or more agents includes one ormore C3 to C14 α,β unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes or C4 to C14 α,βunsaturated aliphatic ketones.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein saidone or more agents further includes C3 to C14 α,β saturated aliphaticaldehydes or C4 to C14 α,β saturated aliphatic ketones.
 20. The methodof claim 14, wherein said harvested or stored potato tubers exhibitsymptoms of one or more fungal or bacterial diseases prior to said stepof applying.
 21. The method of claim 14, wherein said fungal orbacterial or disease is Fusarium dry rot.